What every husband really wants

Brie Gatchalian is a freelance writer based in Montclair, NJ. When she's not writing about fashion and beauty, she researches topics related to relationships and mulls over her own love life. She'll be the first to admit she doesn't hav...

You've got male

That’s easy -- more sex. Just kidding. There’s more to it than that. We turned to the experts and husbands to get to the bottom of what they really want -- no B.S., no lies, no beating around the bush. Read on to find out what husbands really want.

Food

The best advice Edna Kaplan, married woman and president of KOGS Communication, ever got: Feed your man. "Last year, my husband and kids were touring Israel with a private guide. Although we were all more interested in seeing and doing than eating, our guide insisted on stopping for lunch," Edna recalls. "She took me aside and said, 'A hungry man is an angry man.' My husband would probably agree, but I don't think he'd think to point it out." So as cliche as it sounds, ladies, it might not be a bad idea to learn how to cook -- and cook well. Of course, he'll have to do the dishes on the nights you make him dinner though. And never come between a man and his lunch -- you might lose a limb.

Get to the Point

"Don't drop subtle hints. Tell us. Nicely, but directly," Joseph points out. "A chore? Sex? Whatever. Hints don't work. We've got our heads in other places." Joseph Picard, a sci-fi author, says the same goes for you. "You think we read hints. We don't. Whether that outfit makes you look fat, or we're checking out the waitress, or making some kind of imagined criticism. Men do not transmit, nor receive hints. Those who do have no hope in communicating the right idea in any timely manner," he says. "Hints rely on both parties being in a hint kinda mindset at the same time, and this rarely happens."

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

"As a husband I ask for one thing: Respect," says John Rolf Jordan, a licensed marriage and family therapist associate. "Whatever my wife can give revolves around my need to be honored, even when I don't deserve it." It's as simple as that, according to John. If you give respect, you'll hopefully get it in return... even if he's playing World of Warcraft in his boxers.

Look Good

Okay, so this sounds superficial, but being attractive goes a long way, says Pablo Solomon, an internationally recognized artist. "Looks, of course, are very important. Luckily my wife would be considered beautiful universally. However, different guys find a wide range of women to be attractive. Women have the trump card in that just trying to be attractive and pleasing puts them up many levels on the scale of attractiveness," Pablo points out. "Women have the additional weapons of makeup and lingerie. Women almost have to work at being unattractive not to be able to attract men."

Initiate

"I love my wife, and I know she tries hard to be the best she can, but there are still ways in which I think she is completely immature and ridiculous," Ash Meer, a married man, reveals. For starters, Ash wishes she would initiate intimacy like she did when they first started dating. "Her response: 'When I do, you are too tired or too preoccupied!' While that might have been true once or twice, she can't just give up on it. After all, what would she do if I gave up on everything that was met with a negative response at one time?"